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Tuesday, July 3, 2007

Why I'm Happy About Libby's Sentence Commutation

Ostroy: "He (Bush) will forever be known as the president who not only committed the worst military/foreign policy blunder in our nation's history, but the one who defiled and made a constant mockery of our sacred Constitution"

by Andy OstroyJuly 2, 2007

So it's official: King George on Monday exercised his powers of clemency to commute the 2 1/2 year prison sentence of Lewis "Scooter" Libby. Did anyone ever really think "Cheney's Cheney" would spend even a nanosecond in jail? But while most of the Democratic world is furious and calling for Bush's head I, on the other hand, am happy and celebrating this joyous moment.

"I respect the jury's verdict," said the King. "But I have concluded that the prison sentence given to Mr Libby is excessive. Therefore, I am commuting the portion of Mr. Libby’s sentence that required him to spend thirty months in prison....My decision to commute his prison sentence leaves in place a harsh punishment for Mr Libby. The reputation he gained through his years of public service and professional work in the legal community is forever damaged."

So why am I celebrating? Because this decision by Bush is the nail in his political coffin...and with it his legacy. He will forever be known as the president who not only committed the worst military/foreign policy blunder in our nation's history, but the one who defiled and made a constant mockery of our sacred Constitution. I am happy because it really doesn't matter anymore whether Libby served time, does it? He's a convicted felon who committed egregious crimes against freedom and free speech, and he's done his job quite well in tarnishing his vile bosses' reputations. But the greater benefit through all this is that it cements Bush's legacy as a de facto criminal himself. There's no doubt left as to Bush's true motivations and blatant disregard for everything we've held sacred in this country for 231 years. And our children's grandchildren, and their grandkids, will be reading about this buffoon and his corrupt administration as long as there are history books.

Hillary Clinton summed it up best: "Today's decision is yet another example that this Administration simply considers itself above the law. This case arose from the Administration's politicization of national security intelligence and its efforts to punish those who spoke out against its policies. Four years into the Iraq war, Americans are still living with the consequences of this White House's efforts to quell dissent. This commutation sends the clear signal that in this Administration, cronyism and ideology trump competence and justice."

Make no mistake: the person George Bush hurt most with this decision is, well, Bush himself.